TBILISI, Sept 3 — Georgia’s ruling party put forward controversial Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia as prime minister today, further fuelling an already tense political atmosphere in the tiny Black Sea nation.
In a televised statement, the ruling Georgian Dream party leader Bidzina Ivanishvili—a billionaire oligarch widely believed to be the man in charge in Georgia—said he “presented the candidacy of Giorgi Gakharia to the post of prime minister”.
The nomination still needs to be approved by parliament, where Georgian Dream holds a majority.
The announcement followed yesterday’s surprise resignation of premier Mamuka Bakhtadze after just over a year in office.
In June and July, thousands rallied in Tbilisi demanding Gakharia’s departure after riot police used rubber bullets and tear gas against a largely peaceful anti-Russian protest.
Dozens were injured in the violent police crackdown, with several people losing an eye.
The summer protests started after a Russian MP gave a speech in the Georgian parliament—seen as a provocative move in the Caucasus country whose ties with Moscow remain strained after a brief war in 2008.
Moscow reacted to what it called “Russophobic” protests by suspending direct flights between the countries.
The rallies then evolved into a broader movement against Ivanishvili amid widespread anger at his party’s failure to kickstart a stagnant economy and Georgia’s perceived democratic backsliding.
Gakharia, 44, was appointed as Georgia’s deputy prime minister and interior minister in 2017. He previously worked in Russia as a regional director of the German aviation company Lufthansa. He is a graduate ot Moscow’s Lomonosov University.
Announcing his resignation Monday, Bakhtadze said he had “accomplished his mandate of creating the strategic framework of Georgia’s development.” — AFP
